Nationality row: SC refuses urgent hearing on plea to lodge case against Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today refused urgent hearing on a plea seeking a direction to CBI to register a case against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for allegedly declaring himself as a British national before company law authorities there.
"There is no urgency in the matter," a bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said when lawyer M L Sharma pleaded for urgent listing and hearing on his PIL.
Recently, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has alleged that the Congress Vice President has claimed himself to be a British national before the authorities in connection with incorporation of a firm.
In a public interest writ petition, advocate M.L. Sharma annexed the documents in which Rahul Gandhi has declared himself as British during the certificate of incorporation of a private limited company, viz Backops Ltd in 2003 and its annual returns before the Registrar of Companies, UK.
Mr Sharma said he was constrained to seek court intervention as there has been no response to his representation in this regard before the authorities concerned. He said the present petition raised important constitutional questions, viz whether a person declared himself as a British national can be continued as a citizen of India; whether an affidavit filed by Rahul Gandhi before the Election Commission during the Lok Sabha polls in Amethi in 2004 and 2009 is not a fraud if the deponent has already declared himself as a British citizen and whether manipulation of nationality by Rahul Gandhi for acquiring membership of Lok Sabha is not liable for prosecution under IPC Sections 420 and 467, coupled with seizure of his Indian passport.
Mr Sharma pointed out that in the affidavit filed while contesting from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi has merely mentioned that he is a resident in Delhi without disclosing that he is an Indian. As a result he had suppressed the fact that he is a British national as per his declaration before various authorities in the UK. Asserting that a fraud and forgery has been committed by Rahul Gandhi, the petitioner sought a direction for ordering a CBI probe and a direction to register a criminal case against him and consequently to disqualify him from being a Member of Parliament.
